This website uses cookies to ensure proper functionality of the shopping cart and checkout progress. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to the use of cookies. Click here to learn about cookie settings.

Size matters: choose the right glassware

Choosing the right wine glass is a tricky business, but an important one. We all know the old ‘small glass for white wine, large glass for red wine’ rule, but if you want to get really geeky about it you need to consider a few different factors.

Georg Riedel, the 10th generation owner of the infamous family glassmaking business, explains, “The glass is a tool made to deal with the multiple flavour contributors in wine – like fruit, neutrality and acidity – and balance them.” An optimal design will bring out a wine’s fruit characteristics while maintaining its acidity.

The basics:

There are three key components to assess when looking to get the best experience from a glass of wine: the size of the glass, the shape of the glass, and the diameter of the rim. The size controls how much air is in contact with the wine, the shape determines how the liquid flows to the opening, and the rim's diameter influences how fast the wine flows, and then how it lands on the palate.

Studies have shown that while these factors can greatly enhance the experience of drinking a certain wine, some glasses can also have an adverse effect on the experience – over accentuating bitterness or acidity, or certain aromas. For example, enhancing oak flavours too severely could make a wine seem overwhelming, while an excess of pyrazine aromas like green pepper and asparagus could be equally unpleasant.

Almost as vital as size and shape is ensuring that your glassware is clean, most importantly from detergent or dishwasher salt.

The glassware:

Red wines and richer, oaked whites

Red wines are typically served in larger, bowled glasses.

Why?

The large glass allows a larger surface area of the wine to come into contact with air when swirled, developing the aromas and flavours. This larger surface area also allows for a little ethanol evaporation, allowing the more favourable aromas such as fruit and oak to come through.

White wine and rosé

Light white wines and rosés are typically served in smaller, bowled glasses. This size of glass is also a good choice for lighter, low-alcohol red wines with more subtle aromas.

Why?

The small size and bowl shape allows the fresh, fruity and delicate floral aromas to gather, directing it towards the top of the glass without it dissipating too quickly. The smaller glass size also helps retain the cooler temperature for longer.

Still stuck on which glass to use? Check out our quick how-to video:

Fortified wine

Fortified wines are best served in smaller glasses.

Why?

As these wines are higher in ABV than the average wine, there is certainly a practical element to the serve being small!

The smaller glass also helps diminish the feeling of alcohol thus ensuring that the delicious fruit characteristics of the wine are emphasized. Don’t go too small though or there will be no room for swirling and nosing!

Sparkling wine

Sparkling wines are served in a few different glasses, the most common of them being the flute.

Why?

A flute is the optimum shape for maintaining bubbles for longer as they have to travel through more liquid before reaching the surface, bringing aroma with them. However, flutes are not so great for swirling and detecting the subtle aromas of sparkling wine.

Many top Champagne houses are now promoting the drinking of their more complex Champagnes in white wine glasses to enhance the aromatics of the wine.

We all love to look like we’ve just stepped out of a Great Gatsby party, but the coupe glass is actually the least effective glass to pick for Champagne and sparkling wine. So which is the best glass for your bubbles? This quick how-to video shows you how to choose your sparkling wine glass.

Chefs and mixologists have started getting more adventurous when it comes to adding a smoky element to their creations. We visited Birmingham’s Harborne Kitchen to find out how they’ve been thinking beyond the barbecue to add complexity and bring a dose of theatre to the table.

Dessert is an important part of the dining experience, but often an overlooked opportunity to sell drinks. The UK seems to have a growing sweet tooth – NPD group insights show that for the year ending September 2015, diners ate a record 1.5 billion servings of items in the ‘sweet bakery’ and ‘dessert’ categories.
Read More

It’s time to reflect on the year that was and look ahead to what the New Year might have in store for the UK On Trade. Our customers, sales teams and award-winning market insights team picked eight top wine trends to look out for in 2018.
Read More

Legend has it that when the young Henri IV (the future Henry the Great) was born in 1553, his lips were rubbed with a clove of garlic and moistened with a drop of the local Jurançon wine, imparting him with the vigour and spirit for which the young king would become known. Nearly 500 years later, the region is still famous for its ...
Read More

In the late nineteenth century, as much as two thirds of European vineyards were destroyed by a tiny insect called Phylloxera. Similar to an aphid that feeds on the roots and leaves of vines, it is one of the most feared and destructive vineyard pests – and there is no known cure.

On the whole 2015 was a good year for Spain. The summer heat was offset by September rains, which lead to incredibly well-developed fruit. It was a year for both white and red grapes to perform, despite the early heat.

Generally, the outlook is positive for growers across Italy this year, with good rain in the early part of the season offset by blazing heat in July. Over the growing season, there was minimal stress to vines and following the 2014 vintage, many growers were glad to just have something to harvest.